April 14, 2015- Lake Ndutu & Southern Serengeti

Tuesday April 14, 2015
Lake Ndutu area & Southern Serengeti 

The highlight today has been lions!!!!!

Sunrise over Lake Ndutu

We left the lodge again today before sunrise & were able to get some nice shots over Lake Ndutu. We happened upon a Steenbok which is a little larger than a dikdik but with antlers and then shortly afterwards, we saw two jackals. 

A steenbok

Jackal

Found this older lion sleeping in the same locations two days

In the middle of the road!!!

Near the marshy area of the lake we found a sleeping male lion... Peter's goal today was to find the local pride of lions....  Not long afterwards, we spotted a Long Crested Eagle & got a great picture...(Gary got about 30 & I got 3...LOL).



















Our searching was rewarded when we found a group of four lions, one male & three females, mostly sleeping. After watching them for a bit we headed out of the wooded area at the edge of the savannah to the open area. Gary thought he saw something in the distance & when we stopped to look thru binoculars again, I happened to look to the left of the vehicles & saw a cheetah quite close to our vehicle in the grass (cheetah # 17). We hung out for a while there until four other safari vehicles spotted us and came over so we left. 

Long Crested Eagle

This is the younger lion hanging with the ladies of his pride

The pride of lions

Sometimes Gary shoots pictures out the window

Resting

Peter headed off in the direction of the four sleeping lions & we saw the male & one of the females were mating. Was over before we got there but we only had to wait a few minutes before the female lion asked for it again. We were able to get pictures of them mating two more times. Then all four went to sleep.....we waited 30 minutes & then left. Apparently this goes on for about three days while she is in heat.... and they will mate about every 15 minutes... must be exhausting!

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Time again! Wake up!

Our next find was a cheetah (#18) perched up on a dead tree searching for prey. For the next approx one hour we slowly followed it from the openness of the grasslands into the wooded area of the woodlands. We are tracking/hunting with cameras for an animal who is hunting prey! As the cheetah crossed the woodland, it came upon the tall grass of the marsh. The distance covered was approx 2-3 miles from where we first spotted #18 on the dead tree. It was a bit hidden there....then we saw cheetah #19 sitting. We were careful to continue tracking #18.... There was a large open area between where #18 was and the herd of wildebeest. Cheetah can kill baby wildebeest & there were some in the herd including one that was limping. A problem arose though when a herd of zebras came into the area between #18 & the wildebeest. They spotted #18 & it was a stand off. We continued to wait but we decided this could last all day. We probably to this point had spent two hours hoping for a kill. 

No zoom on this pic...she was that close!

There was no place for her to hide here...

The roads were like lakes & streams. Amazing driving skills by our guide, Peter

The Martial Eagle

Ngorogoro in the distance

Grey Crowned Crane- Uganda's national bird

After a break of a couple more hours to have a late lunch and a short rest, during which there was a brief thunderstorm, we left the lodge at 4pm to go see if #18 had been productive. 

We have passed many herds of zebra today...they are everywhere today! We drove 30 minutes back to the spot & when we arrived there wasn't one wildebeest, zebra, or a cheetah in sight. We didn't see a carcass or vultures so we never knew the ending to that hunt. 

Menu at Ndutu Lodge for April 14th